So You Think You Can Dance

Wednesday night marked the first re-teaming of the "So You Think You Can Dance" Top 10. That means that Thursday night is the first elimination in which the judges are totally at the mercy of the home vote.

Uh-oh.

Which of her babies will Cat Deeley have to say farewell to?

So sad.

Past Events

That is, as they say, all she wrote. Tonight, "So you Think you can Dance" ends its 11th season by declaring a winner, or winners. Honestly, we refuse to speculate until someone is crowned... or not. There aren't all that many people left, so the odds of winning at this point, if you're a contestant, are pretty good. Of course, that only makes the entire thing so much more heartbreaking if you lose. We, we will freely admit, would never even have gotten this far and consequently roundly congratulate those who have.

Last week we were treated to the first live performance show. It was a happy, joyous moment for the 11th season of the series. Tonight, we are afraid, will be rather different. You see, once you have the first live performance show, you need to follow it up with the first elimination show. Someone is going home tonight. We promise you that it will be someone who can actually dance... just someone who maybe can't dance as the rest.

On tonight's episode of "So you Think you can Dance" you will get the first live performance show and you will celebrate the 200th episode of the long-running series. Yup, this is episode 200, and the sad thing about it all is that 200 episodes later, we still cannot dance. Perhaps, by the 400th episode we will be successful in our desire to be able to, at the very least, do a little two-step. It isn't like we're asking to be able to tap or do the electric slide or anything.

We do highlight this show on a fairly regular basis and we do it because this folks dance like we can't. Oh sure, it's true that we like the night moves and we love to boogie, but we aren't very good at such things. So, we watch "SYTYCD" and we do so on a weekly basis. perhaps our boogie abilities will get better, but even if they don't, at least we can say that we tried and only hurt ourselves so badly because we were trying to emulate the best.

Sometimes, when it is late and darkness has come but sleep has not, we rise from our bed as our spouse snores away. Silently, we put on our headphones and turn on the music. There, in the darkness of our room, we dance. We dance with reckless abandon. Then, we wake and realize it was just a dream. We only think we can dance in our dreams. We will never be on this show because we know that, by the light of day, we can't dance. However, tonight, on the season premiere of "So you Think you can Dance," you will see people who can actually dance.

As we have noted previously, we won't dance (don't ask us). However, the remaining contestants on this dancing competition absolutely and unquestionably can. In fact, even many of the eliminated can dance, but they've been eliminated and aren't going to be competing for the final prize tonight. There are, however, a scant few dancers still standing and someone is going to win tonight. This is the season finale of one summer's perennial reality show favorites. Watch and enjoy.

Oh yes, it's true, "So you Think you can Dance" is going to begin its 10th season tonight. Now, due to the way that FOX is scheduling things, perhaps oddly, "So you Think you can Dance" isn't going to begin with a two-hour episode. Seriously, no joke, FOX isn't premiering the series with a two hour episode. Weird, right? That means we're going to get about half the dancing we would think we would get from a premiere "SYTYCD" episode. Even so, we'll manage, especially because the season finale of "New Girl" is up right after the "SYTYCD" premiere. Eventually, we believe, the show will expand to two hours.

We love to say things like 'whether or not you think you can dance,' but the truth of the matter is that we only say those sorts of things because we know we can't dance. We are kind of like Kevin James in "Hitch" (we may have said that already on another occasion). The other truth of the matter is that everyone here is an insanely good dancer. We don't know who is going to win, we can't possibly make that determination, all we know is that everyone on this show can in fact dance and everyone on this show is terribly impressive in their demonstrations of such dancing skills.

After being whittled down from thousands, the top 20 performers remaining in the competition must partner up and prepare a new routine to impress not only the judges before them, but the voting public as well; 10 pairs perform live.

There is not one reason to watch tonight's show, there are, in point of fact, a plethora. First off, the top 20 contestants will be revealed tonight and that is, at minimum, 20 reasons to watch. Then you have all those newly eliminated contestants, and they're each another reason to watch. Plus, tonight is the series' 200th episode so it is going to be (we've decided) bigger and bolder and better tonight than ever before. Well, at the very least, you should expect some sort of acknowledgement of their own success. See? Lots of reasons to watch.

Quite clearly, summer is upon us. We know as much because "So you Think you can Dance" is back on the air. Yes, at one point there was that weird Fall season of the show, but we're going to pretend like that never existed and stick by our assertion that "So you Think you can Dance" is a series which heralds the summer television season. So, "SYTYCD," herald away -- the weather is warmer, the sky is bluer, and Cat Deeley is back. Life is good.

The season is coming to an end for "So you Think you can Dance," and that means a couple of things. First off, it means that Cat Deeley is going to go away for a while (which makes us sad). It also means that we're going to find out that we won our HitFix "So you Think you can Dance" Fantasy League, which makes us happy. Yup, after a summer of vigilant viewing, research, and prayer, we're happy to announce that we know all there is to know about "So you Think you can Dance" and can start to accurately judge winners (which makes us a winner no matter what our actual score is in the league).

At this moment, we think we have a pretty good handle on who is going to win "So you Think you can Dance." However, we need our pick to do well here on tonight's final performance show of the season in order for them to help make our dream a reality (in the HitFix Fantasy League). We cannot offer you our thoughts on who the winner will be for fear of accidentally informing those we're playing against in the fantasy league, but please trust us when we tell you that our dancer can beat your dancer. Watch them do so on tonight's two hour episode.

We feel a little foolish saying to you that two weeks ago there were 10 people on this show, then last week there were eight people and now this week there are six and then next week there will be... you get the picture. Our real point is this -- no matter how many people may be on the show at the beginning of tonight's episode there will be fewer at the end. In short, the time that "So you Think you can Dance" will be on our televisions with new episodes is growing horribly, horribly short. Soak in all the dancing goodness while you can, because soon enough the series will be gone until 2012... that's right, 2012.

Oh sure, there are lots of people out there who will tell you that hitting the top 10 in any of these reality shows is really getting to that magic number where folks may remember you for at least six months after the series ends. We disagree. We think that while getting to the top 10 is certainly an achievement worth noting, we believe that hitting that single digit finalist number is really where it's at. Tonight, "So you Think you can Dance" will begin with the top 10 contestants, but by the end of the night we'll be left with only the top eight, and that is a truly impressive place to be.

Tonight's episode of "So You Think You Can Dance" is going to start off with 20 contestants, and by the end of the night, a mere 16 will be left standing. We don't want you to think that the people going home can't dance--they wouldn't have gotten this far if they couldn't dance--they're just not the best dancers the show has to offer this time out. And, if one of them was your pick to win it all, take some solace in the fact that they got this far (and that we certainly picked tonight's eliminations with 100 percent accuracy).

The top 20 dancers will be performing tonight and, essentially, pleading for your vote. It isn't like they will overtly be stating things like 'Vote for me, you must vote for me, you have to vote for me, oh please oh please oh please vote for me.' They might do that, but what we really meant is that it is with their dance moves that they'll be pleading for your vote. Every hip swivel, every gyration, every little pointing of every little toe is their way of seducing you into casting your vote for them.

To this point on "So you Think you can Dance" we have seen the auditions, we have seen the top 20 revealed and we have seen the first live performance show. Tonight we get another thing we like to consider pretty momentous -- the first live results show. At the end of this night (and probably a decent amount of filler), we're going to watch the first member of the top 20 get sent home. There will be tears, there will be anguish, and there will be a good deal of happiness from those who don't get sent home (which they'll most likely hide).

Well, we've made it, we've sat through the good, the bad, and the distinctly ugly to get to this point, but we're finally here -- the top 20 performers are being revealed tonight. Who will they be? What will they look like? Who knows. All we can say for certain is that these folks will in fact be able to dance. Seriously, at this point--once you've hit the top 20--the name of the show should change to something like "Okay, but who Dances the Best?" We know that our name may not be all that compelling, but doesn't accuracy count for something in this world?

The truth of the matter is that we're actually relatively convinced that we can't dance and no matter how many times the nice folks at FOX suggest otherwise, we're simply not buying the notion that dancing is in any way, shape, manner, or form in our future. In short, no, we do not think we can dance. We totally think we can sit back and watch other people dance and that's exactly what we do when this show is on. So, bring it people who actually think they can dance, we're going to sit back, relax, and eat some pork rinds.

All good things must come to an end, and this season of "So You Think You Can Dance" does as well. Or, maybe something about how 'all good things' includes "So You Think You Can Dance." That does seem terribly more appropriate, doesn't it? Let us amend what we have written then, changing it to 'wow, it's been quite the season, and sadly it has to come to an end. The winner will be announced tonight, it will be both a sad (the season will be ending) and happy (we'll be celebrating the winner, no matter whom it happens to be).' Yes, that's what we're going with.

At the start of tonight's elimination episode there will be six contestants still remaining. By the end of the episode there will be five. Do you know what that means? That means that tonight we'll find out this season's top five. The top five. That's a pretty special place to be. Actually, if we're being honest, the truth is that were we to try out to be on the series, we'd totally make the top five. Do we think we can dance? Oh no, we're quite certain that we can, we unquestionably can. We're like MC Hammer, but without the pants.

We kid you not - this is the 150th episode of "So You Think You Can Dance." Now, it is certainly true that the show airs two episodes a week and that makes 150 a far more achievable number than it is for a show that only airs once a week, but it's still a pretty impressive figure. No, it's not as impressive as the actual dancing that takes place on the show, but if we were to only discuss that you would think that this was just another normal episode of the series and it's not, it's the 150th episode. 150. Wow. We remember when we aired our 150th episode (our spouse calls them 'tantrums'). It was about 500 episodes ago.

Have you tuned in to this season again after the premiere? Well if not, now's a pretty good time to see what's been happening. Last week the top 10 were announced. This week the first of those top 10 will be sent home. We don't actually ever root for anyone to go home on reality shows (except for sometimes), and with the way people dance on this show we're a little sad that they can't all be winners. However, we feel like winners just for watching them all dance. Now we just need to figure out if we can get some sort of plaque or trophy or t-shirt indicating as much.

Having watched some videos, we are pretty sure that we can't dance. Strike that, we're positive we can't. We would never even suggest that maybe we could dance. We're not even at the level that Hitch tried to get Kevin James to, we haven't worked out where "home" is yet. That doesn't mean, however, that we can't enjoy watching those who think they can dance get down and get funky (see, we don't even know dance parlance). And boy, whether these people think they can or not, they can most definitely dance.

The end of the first fall season of "So You Think You Can Dance" is tonight, and the winner will be revealed, that we promise you. While we're excited to find out who takes home the crown, the end of the cycle is always a sad moment. There has been some pretty outstanding dancing this year, and the fact that it's all going to come to a close tonight doesn't particularly amuse us. If only FOX had some other sort of competition, perhaps a musical one, that they could air all winter and into the spring we might be able to find this easier. Yes, if only FOX had a singing competition they could air more than once a week come January...

This summer favorite is taking advantage of its popularity and riding the hot tamale train into a fall season, where another round of talented hopefuls try to prove that they can dance. Fabulous host Cat Deeley, along with judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy, return for another season of dancing.

They say the first cut is the deepest, but in terms of pure percentages, that isn't actually true. On Thursday night's "So You Think You Can Dance," two more dancers go home, cutting the field from six to four. That means Cat Deeley is going to have to say good-bye to 33 percent of her babies. That's much deeper than the first cut. The show will doubtlessly have guest dancers and musical performances, but they haven't been announced yet as we're writing this.

FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance" celebrates its milestone 100th episode by cutting its field from eight dancers down to six. But before America makes Cat Deeley very unhappy, Katie Holmes will make her long-awaited "SYTYCD" debut, doing a tribute to Judy Garland set to "Get Happy." "So You Think You Can Dance" has been hinting at this performance and teasing it for so long, it's going to be hard to live up to, but did you see Holmes on "Eli Stone" last fall? She's got moves!

The dancers are dwindling on FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance." This week, the Top Eight perform for the judges and for your votes, America. No matter how they perform, expect squeals from Mary Murphy, British wisdom from Nigel Lythgoe and general love and approval from Cat Deeley.

Wednesday night's TV choices are mostly unscripted programming. You can watch people fall down on "Wipeout" on ABC, or people with questionable talents attempt to live up to the title of NBC's "America's Got Talent."

But we'll be watching the Top 14 perform on FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance."

We won't judge you if you watch one of the other shows, but just remember which show has Cat Deeley and which shows don't.

FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance" trims its field to 14 after the elimination of two more dancers. Expect the usual assortment of group performances, at least one musical guest and six solo dances as finalists boogie for their lives.

On Wednesday (June 10) the Top 10 Men and Top 10 Women performed on FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance." On Thursday, two of the dancers will go home.

If you've never watched a "So You Think You Can Dance" elimination show, it's a tightly packed hour with musical and dance performances, plus a number of solo dances as the lowest vote-getters dance for their lives.

Two more hours of "So You Think You Can Dance" auditions? Sure. Why not. That means two more hours of Cat Deeley, two more hours of Mary Murphy squealing and two more hours for Nigel Lythgoe to say something embarrassingly homophobic.